Christian Standard Bible
2 Chronicles 34:4
4Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he chopped down the shrines that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
2 Chronicles 34:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
- New International Version (NIV)Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
Context of 2 Chronicles 34:4
2He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the right or the left. 3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images. Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he chopped down the shrines that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5He burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6He did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali and on their surrounding mountain shrines.
Read all of 2 Chronicles 342 Chronicles 34:4 word by word
וַיְנַתְּצ֣וּ לְפָנָ֗יו אֵ֚ת מִזְבְּח֣וֹת הַבְּעָלִ֔ים וְהַֽחַמָּנִ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־לְמַ֥עְלָה מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם גִּדֵּ֑עַ וְ֠הָאֲשֵׁרִים וְהַפְּסִלִ֤ים וְהַמַּסֵּכוֹת֙ שִׁבַּ֣ר וְהֵדַ֔ק וַיִּזְרֹק֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַקְּבָרִ֔ים הַזֹּבְחִ֖ים לָהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they brake downנָתַץnâthats · to tearH5422
- the altarsמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- of Baalimבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
- in his presenceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
- and the imagesחַמָּןchammân · pillarH2553
- on high above themמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
- he cut downגָּדַעgâda‛ · to cut down/offH1438
- and the grovesאֲשֵׁרָה'ăshêrâh 'ăshêyrâh · AsherahH842
- and the carved imagesפָּסִילpesîyl · idolH6456
- and the molten imagesמַסֵּכָהmassêkâh · molten metalH4541
- he brake in piecesשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
- and made dustדָּקַקdâqaq · to crushH1854
- and strowedזָרַקzâraq · to scatterH2236
- uponפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- the gravesקֶ֫בֶרqeber qibrâh · graveH6913
- of them that had sacrificedזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
Cross-references for 2 Chronicles 34:4
- 2 Chronicles 33:3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down and reestablished the altars for the Baals. He made Asherah poles, and he bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served them.
- Exodus 23:24Do not bow in worship to their gods, and do not serve them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them and smash their sacred pillars to pieces.
- Leviticus 26:30I will destroy your high places, cut down your shrines, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless bodies of your idols; I will reject you.
- Deuteronomy 7:5Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their carved images.
- 2 Chronicles 14:5He also removed the high places and the shrines from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom experienced peace under him.
- 2 Kings 23:4Then the king commanded the high priest Hilkiah and the priests of the second rank and the doorkeepers to bring out of the Lord’s sanctuary all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the stars in the sky. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
- 2 Chronicles 34:7He tore down the altars, and he smashed the Asherah poles and the carved images to powder. He chopped down all the shrines throughout the land of Israel and returned to Jerusalem.
- Exodus 32:20He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water.
- Deuteronomy 9:21I took the sinful calf you had made and burned it. I crushed it, thoroughly grinding it to powder as fine as dust, and threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.
- 2 Kings 23:12The king tore down the altars that the kings of Judah had made on the roof of Ahaz’s upper chamber. He also tore down the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple. Then he smashed them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
- Psalms 18:42I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.
- Isaiah 27:9Therefore Jacob’s iniquity will be atoned for in this way, and the result of the removal of his sin will be this: when he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
- 2 Kings 10:26They brought out the pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it,
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 34:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The altars of Baalim - How often have these been broken down, and how soon set up again! We see that the religion of a land is as the religion of its king. If the king were idolatrous, up went the altars, on them were placed the statues, and the smoke of incense ascended in ceaseless clouds to the honor of that which is vanity, and nothing to the world; on the other hand, when the king was truly religious, down went the idolatrous altars, broken in pieces…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The images - Margin, sun-images. See Leviticus 26:30 note.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them--He treated the graves themselves as guilty of the crimes of those who were lying in them [Bertheau].Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Chronicles 34:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 34
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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